50% YouTube ads are skippable

Up to 50 per cent of all video ads served on YouTube are now skippable says the company. YouTube introduced the skippable format, In-stream, last December as the first of a series of interactive video ad formats launched under the TrueView brand.

The In-stream format lets viewers skip the ad after five seconds and is charged on a cost-per-view basis. This means advertisers are only charged for the ad if it has been watched in full or for at least 30 seconds.

YouTube claims to have seen the number of engaged views quadruple since February, adding that the In-stream ads can reduce audience drop-off by 40 per cent, when compared with non-skippable ads.